```

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 245 (Friday, December 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 104201-104202]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30442]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-NWRS-2024-0136; FF09R81000.FVRS80810900000.XXX]

Green River National Wildlife Refuge, KY; Establishment of 
Hunting Permit Fees

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce our intent to 
establish and implement amenity fees at Green River National Wildlife 
Refuge (Refuge), located in Kentucky, as authorized by the Federal 
Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA). We intend to implement 
hunting permit fees. Under FLREA provisions, the refuge will identify 
and post the fees. Unless we publish a notice in the Federal Register 
withdrawing this action, we will implement the fees on the date shown 
in the DATES section. We invite comments on our intended action from 
the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.

DATES: We must receive any written comments on or before March 20, 
2025. For more information, see Public Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION. Unless we publish a notice in the Federal Register 
withdrawing this action, we will implement the amenity fees on July 1, 
2025.

ADDRESSES: Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments, you may 
do so in writing by one of the following methods:
     Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-NWRS-2024-
0136.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-HQ-NWRS-2024-0136; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Johnson, by telephone at 270-
527-5770 or via email at [email protected]. Individuals in the 
United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a 
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Introduction

    Established in November 2019, Green River National Wildlife Refuge 
(refuge) is located in Henderson, Kentucky, near the confluence of the 
Ohio and Green Rivers, an area known for bottomland hardwood forest. 
This important habitat helps support migrating waterfowl, songbirds, 
fish, and other wildlife.

Intent To Implement Amenity Fees

    We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce our intent to 
implement amenity fees at the refuge, as authorized by the Federal 
Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801-6814; FLREA). We 
intend to

[[Page 104202]]

implement hunting permit fees. Under FLREA provisions, the refuge will 
identify and post the specific hunting fees. Unless we publish a notice 
in the Federal Register withdrawing this action, we will implement the 
fees on the date in the DATES section.

Hunting Permit Fees

    Under section 3 of the FLREA, we will implement the hunting permit 
fees in table 1.

   Table 1--Annual Hunting Permit Fees; Green River National Wildlife
                                 Refuge
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Hunter type                          Permit fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adult (16-64 years of age)................  $20.00
Youth (under 16 years of age).............  Free
Youth--Quota Hunt.........................  10.00
Veteran...................................  10.00
Adult over 65 years of age................  10.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The implementation of these fees will provide the refuge with funds 
to offset expenses related to managing the hunt program, other visitor 
services, law enforcement salaries, and expansion and improvements of 
visitor amenities. It is our policy to allow only activities that are 
appropriate and compatible with the refuge's purposes.

Background

    In accordance with regulations governing the National Wildlife 
Refuge System (50 CFR part 25, subpart E) a refuge may implement fees 
and other reasonable charges for public recreational use of lands 
administered by that refuge. When considering fees, a refuge is 
required by our regulations to evaluate the following:
     The direct and indirect cost to the Government;
     The benefits to the permit holder;
     The public policy or interest served;
     The comparable fees charged by non-Federal public 
agencies; and
     The economic and administrative feasibility of fee 
collection.
    The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as 
amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 
(16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee), allows National Wildlife Refuges to provide 
wildlife-dependent recreation to visitors, but these laws require 
refuges to manage for the conservation of fish, wildlife, and habitat 
for current as well as future generations of Americans. To fulfill 
these obligations, Green River National Wildlife Refuge plans to use 
collected fees to defray costs associated with visitor amenities.

Public Comments

Submitting Comments

    Please make your comments as specific as possible and explain the 
basis for them. In addition, please include sufficient information with 
your comments to allow us to authenticate any scientific or commercial 
data you reference or provide. Such information may lead to a final 
decision that differs from this proposal.

Public Availability of Comments

    If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted 
on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal 
identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email 
address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold 
this information from public review; however, we cannot guarantee that 
we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations 
or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

Next Steps

    If public comments were to provide substantive reasons why we 
should not implement the proposed hunting permit fee program at the 
refuge, we would reevaluate our plan and publish a subsequent notice in 
the Federal Register withdrawing this action. Otherwise, we will 
implement the proposed fee program at the Green River National Wildlife 
Refuge on the date specified in the DATES section of this document, and 
the refuge will post fee amounts and expenditures on site.

Authority

    Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801-6814).

Michael Oetker,
Regional Director, Southeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-30442 Filed 12-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
```